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We are going to take a break from what is happening at the Kets Akademy. Other events that are happening away from the there that will have an effect upon what transpires relevant to current and future events. Not forgetting that anything from food, to drink to general items, but not forgetting luxury items, come into Onica, via the Satellite and inter galactic traders.
Traders have always been around, quick to trade on anything and everything, to make money or buy privileges, favors and more, with the bribes. Some goods are declared illegal.
Detriox drugs and Uerone drinks as two examples. Contraband can be smuggled and again, what that is; varies.
Items you can find on one planet, not on another and so on, may be greatly desired on the planet, that does not have it as a resource. Those who indulge in the risky business of smuggling, run the gauntlet of those, who are out to catch them
Some penalties, can result in their vessel being confiscated and the crew imprisoned, or executed. Other punishments, can be simple fines, or having to lose the cargo altogether, sold or destroyed.
Bounty hunters can earn good money chasing the villains. Smugglers? It varies. Those that fetch little or nothing left alone.
The ones worth chasing, can often be found with others. Thus a small reward combined with the prices on the heads of those with them? Can add up very nicely.
The downside as any decent Bounty hunter will tell you to the end game, is the fact that they are not alone, when it comes to hunting down their prize.Others like them, after the same person or persons, beings; whatever. Who will kill you, if you stand in their way. That of course can be negated, if you kill them first. Justifiable cause has to be upheld, but if they fire at you, you fire back and kill, or seriously injure them? Justified.
Most of them like to remain 'faceless' and anonymous. Like certain Galacia Federa agents such as Limala, known for her success rate in stopping the illegal trade of drugs and weapons across Zone 4. Which unfortunately is also the Zone inhabited by one of the most notorious of Smugglers Nvarra.
The one that Limala has been after for the last three years and without success in capturing her. It should be said Nvarra was the ONLY one to date who had managed such.
Nvarra traded between the Rogarian worlds, the Sestrom Dynastics and the rather strange Qwei worlds. If you looked on the galactic map it would be between the 6th, 7th and 8th Quadrants. So lets go and join Nvarra as her craft enters the 'Sestrom Dynastic' homeworlds.
What is about to transpire. will change her destiny, forever. Slow to start, but like a rollercoaster climbs to the top, to drop her breathless, into the abyss.
It can be said the reputation of her crew, was well known. Not to be trifled with. N’Varra often referred to as 'THE Queen of the smugglers' was not a lover of the Humana. Some of them, populated nearby worlds. It was rumored, that she had a taste for, eating Human flesh.
Not true of course, but it suited her purposes, where, some of more risqué, business interests were concerned. Thanks to some, of the less honest, cunning and devious, who often ranked amongst her best clients. It paid to have them, nervous.
It can be said, of her activities, that she paid attention to detail. It would have surprised some, to note, that she kept meticulous records, of her transactions. Would not, trade in illegal drugs? What came to transpire, would leave her thoughts centred on the Akademy.
A tough place for trading. You did not have Onica on its own to deal with re consequences. Several of the bigger forces within the galaxies had Kets there.
Provoke the security on Onica and you had those forces hunting you down, or sending out agents of their own.
Bounty hunters. The Kal Heiron, the Galicia Federa, Tirkwan, Jogarth, Vendarans all had their eyes on what was happening and would if they encountered you, check your trading and trafficking logs.
Anything illegal, they did not like or took offence to and you might as well go put your head on the block and wait for the axe to swing. So no, it was not difficult to understand, controls were strict.
Sipping on a drink in one of the, as we would know it; bars. Friends and others, they were doing business with. Nvarra overheard a conversation on a shipment to the Akademy? Large quantities of illegal drugs? Acquired by certain Kets at the Akademy.
Those talking about it, had nothing to do with the shipment itself. What they wanted to know, was HOW the shipments were getting past the security forces?
There had to be someone she reasoned, on the inside allowing shipments to go unchecked, to maybe turn a blind eye as one might say to the shipments and let them slip through. NOT that N’Varra wanted to do business this way, Kets to her, were children and she preferred older clientele.
Her crew knew and so did the other traders, that she did not like the thought of some of her shipments being taken and delivered to the Kets? There was an unwritten rule between her and her clientele that those who supplied illegal drugs to Kets need not bother to ask her to smuggle items for them? There WAS a modicum of ‘honour, amongst thieves’. Her purpose was NOT, to have a fight on her hands, with the buyers, nor those shipping. She wanted those responsible within the Akademy.
A bonus to Nvarra? Years of trading and her informants were varied, diverse and for a barter, more than capable of getting her the information she needed. So what would she do with the information once she had the details re the insider. That would remain to be seen, suffice to say she had her own plans.
Four weeks FOUR whole weeks. It appeared that certain parties, were loathe to divulge anything. Even when the bartering, the bribes were substantially in their favour. Cethnik was one of her best informants. He frequently, for a percentage, provided her with new clientele.
N’Varra drew the line, at slave trading, a hatred of such traders, one that was more than apparent. THEY? They stayed clear of her.
Finally he acquired the information she was searching for. So the shipments went to the satellite ‘Sibellius ‘ orbiting the planet ?
She noted that it was a staging point for shipments on a regular basis. Cethnik had supplied details on, who would be able to tell her a lot more to satisfy her curiosity?
He was understandably nervous and was not, desiring to hang around. Paid in part with Drax and goods he had asked for, in exchange for the name, he left rapidly afterwards.
Not that Cethnik would lie or cheat on her, stupid he was not. Knowing full well, her punishment for those who crossed her, or rather double crossed her.
She had been quick to demonstrate her abilities, to dish out punishment, choosing the right opportunity, to record the event in detail, sending copies to her perspective customers. It was clear from that, that only a fool, would want to cross her.
Travel to the Satellite orbiting Onica? Taking her vessel, would be like flashing a red flag to a bull. She jumped ship, closer to the Satellite. Her choice, was a transporter, passing the satellite that would drop her off.
Transport back, to wherever her main vessel was, would follow later. Tabreck, was N’Varra’s second in command. She knew everything. There were NO, secrets between them, but then she also knew, why N’Varra was more than keen, to find out WHY and HOW, the shipments, were getting past the Akademy security.
Her brother was a tutor there. His daughter, her niece, a student. N’Varra, had no intention of letting those using the drugs, to seize upon any opportunity, to get her 'niece', hooked. Talbreck had intimated that she should pay her brother a visit?
A set of forged credits with the pass key to allow her legit entry, without too much scrutiny, on the part of the security forces.
More a case of 'Ah, so your brother works here, just checking, that's fine, go ahead'. Done. "I am sure Nivana, would be pleased to see you?. “I think’ thought N’Varra; you’re perfectly right.
What was to transpire, that would make NVarra a target, for a certain Bounty hunter, who. had been a constant thorn in her side, happened aboard that transporter. Settled in the cargo hold, it was not the best place to try and sleep. The noise from the filtration units buzzed in her ears.
Partly her own fault. She had bribed the captain of the vessel, to give her passage, on the understanding that she did NOT, wish anyone else, well as few as was possible, to know she was aboard. That meant, the only place inconspicuous, was the cargo hold.
Raits, ah yes we already know about those creatures. The container, that two of them had been gnawing the ropes off, had some food packs across the top. of what was hidden beneath? They had dragged those packs off the cargo container. NVarra seeing this, scattered the Raits and in doing so, glanced at the crate in front of her.
Two small packages, caught her eyes. Removing one of them, she looked closely at it, not believing, what her eyes were seeing.
Expensive? Value probably several thousand Drax. Tech that was generally forbidden and for good reason. The components from both containers, when locked together, provided a cypher unlocking device that could decipher virtually any, known system code in the galaxy.
Access to systems, safes, robotic units, control units and it dawned on her. The grid defence system, that protected Onica? NO.
That was a bit over the top on her thinking. However having access to systems so they could cheat. That was more like it.
What unnerved her, was the value of the components. If that was your aim, you could buy devices that were a lot, lot cheaper to do that. So why, spend so much, on top of the range equipment, that was way, way advanced? If she knew, WHO the Kets were, that would help ease her mind.
At the moment, she was not getting good vibes from this. Usually her intuition was sound. If it smelt like a Rait, it was a Rait.
This crate needed to be kept an eye on. She replaced the food packs and retied the crate as good as she could. Certainly making it look as though it had NOT been tampered with. She would follow that consignment from the Satellite to the planet below. See who, collected it.
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